SOUTHWICK – Town Clerk Michelle Hill was appointed the new parking clerk last night.
Police officer Paul Miles, Police Chief Mark Krynicki and Hill told the Southwick Select Board that without a designated parking clerk, the town is losing money.
Miles said the way current laws are written, if there is no parking clerk to oversee parking tickets, there is no system to ensure they are paid.
“These citations are basically going into the abyss,” said Miles.
Miles asked the board to appoint a parking clerk “on a very part-time basis” to hear appeals and seek payment.
Hill said she knows she is the logical choice because she has access to everything she needs to be their ticket clerk. She told the board if a parking clerk is appointed that person can follow-up on citations.
“The potential process is once the ticket is issued and turned over to us, I could then turn it over to Kelly and Ryan and after the 21 day waiting period. They can send a delinquent notice, then a second notice,” said Hill.
If the ticket were still not paid, the license and registration of the person issued the ticket would be flagged for non-renewal.
Hill said there are very few tickets paid in town because the way it works now, there are no consequences if a ticket is not paid.
Chief Administrative Officer Karl Stinehart supported the request.
“This is something that needs to be done,” he said.
